Technical Field
Embodiments disclosed herein are related to ophthalmic surgical probes. More specifically, embodiments described herein relate to surgical probe with an interlocking attachment.
Related Art
Ophthalmic surgical probes deliver light to a surgical field for a variety of applications. For example, in pan-retinal photocoagulation of retinal tissue, it can be desirable to deliver laser light to multiple spots on the retina during the procedure. The multiple spots can be generated from a single input beam by splitting the single beam using a diffractive beam splitter. The beam splitter can be fixed at the distal end of a surgical probe using an adhesive. One or more other components of the surgical probe can also be joined using an adhesive. Surgical probes, such as those described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/959,533, filed Dec. 3, 2010, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference, can be used for these applications.
Delivering light to the surgical field can be challenging for several reasons. While most of the light from the split beam can be transmitted to the surgical field, some portion of the light can be absorbed by the surgical probe. Because some components of the surgical probe can be poor heat conductors, “hot spots” in the surgical probe can develop. Degradation and/or failure can result when hot spots develop near components that are joined by an adhesive.
Some improvement in the structural integrity of surgical probes can be achieved using thermally conductive materials such as those described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/565,041, filed Aug. 2, 2012, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Using such materials allows for more efficient heat transfer from areas that absorb light and decreases the likelihood that hot spots will develop.
Nevertheless, unusual circumstances can arise during operation of surgical probes that can cause a high temperature failure. For example, blood can become disposed on the distal tip of a surgical probe. Light that would normally pass through surgical probe with high transmittance can be absorbed by the blood. This can cause the blood to heat up to high temperatures. The heat can be conducted towards one or more elements of the surgical probe that are joined by an adhesive, and a temperature in excess of the degradation temperature of the adhesive can result. In some circumstances, one or more elements of the surgical probe can become detached from the probe during a surgical procedure.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improved devices, systems, and methods that improve the structural integrity of surgical probes by addressing one or more of the needs discussed above.